The father of a 9-year-old boy who was mauled to death by his sister's dogs earlier this month has filed a claim for damages against Sacramento County Child Protective Services.

John Huston, along with his lawyer, held a news conference Tuesday to announce the wrongful death claim filed against CPS in which he's seeking damages for at least $10,000.

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"It's because the government said they were going take care of Tyler and did not," said Huston's attorney, Mosley Collins.

Tyler-Trammel-Huston was in foster care following his mother's death.

He was living with a foster family in Elk Grove but was visiting his adult half-sister at a camping trailer in Yuba County during the first weekend of the year

According to sheriff's deputies, 24-year-old Alexandria Griffin-Heady left her brother alone in the trailer with her three pit bulls on the morning of Jan. 3 while she went to work for about three hours.

When Griffin-Heady returned home, she found her brother dead after being attacked by the dogs, deputies said.

Huston described the moment a deputy told him about his son's death.

"He's like, 'Mr Huston, I hope you're sitting down.' And I was like, 'What's this about?' And he was like, 'It's your son,'" Huston said Tuesday. "He told me that he'd passed away because he'd been mauled by three pit bulls."

The Yuba County Sheriff's Department has yet to decide whether it will recommend that Griffin-Heady should face criminal charges.

Her attorney, Roberto Marquez told KCRA 3 that Griffin-Heady she was just trying to do the right thing, and what happened was "just a sad, sad tragedy."

However, Huston argues that Griffin-Heady "resided in a dilapidated travel trailer" that was "legally uninhabitable," according to a released statement.

The county has 30 days to accept or reject Huston's claim.

If it is rejected, Huston's attorney said he plans to file a wrongful death lawsuit.

Both Huston and Griffin-Heady were among the friends and family members who attended a memorial service Tuesday afternoon for the boy.

A small, light blue coffin covered in flowers lay at the front of the chapel of Sierra Hills Memorial Park and East Lawn Mortuary in Citrus Heights.

On a screen above the coffin flashed images of a toothy grinned boy playing with his foster siblings.

His foster mother, Gloria Hudson, talked about the six months during which he lived with her.

Hudson told people at the ceremony they should have no regrets if they did everything possible to protect him.

"But if you didn't, God have mercy on you," said Hudson.

Griffin-Heady said she did not agree with the father's decision to invite news reporters to attend the ceremony.

"I do not want this being a show for my brother's funeral," she said.

Griffin-Heady's attorney said she has consented to allow the Yuba County Animal Shelter to put them down.